Why not steal $5 MILLION instead? “Of all the Conservatives’ initiatives to date, the most bewildering is its newly created Office for the Promotion of Religious Freedom. The Tories are deploying five million dollars of taxpayers’ money — ostensibly to promote not a particular religion, but the freedom to practice religion in general. Not in Canada, mind you, but around the world, in places from Turkey to Tibet.” http://www.ipolitics.ca/2013/02/21/why-an-office-of-religious-freedom-god-only-knows/

]]>By: MattNYChttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2013/07/25/57619/comment-page-1#comment-286211
Fri, 26 Jul 2013 15:48:43 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=57619#comment-286211Is it just me or is George actually Scalia’s alter ego? Richard’s description could easily be applied to Execrable Antonin.
]]>By: Regan DuCassehttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2013/07/25/57619/comment-page-1#comment-286019
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 19:34:45 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=57619#comment-286019I know Timothy. I realized too late that I meant to say I agree that there is little religious DIVERSITY in the world.
Sorry I didn’t articulate that as well as I wanted to.

But there can be extremes in any religious communities, and the fear (and rightly) is that what some call religious freedom, sensible people call religious abuse.
Look at the howl coming from people because of marriage equality. They aren’t being abused, but they insist their freedoms are being damaged, even when they aren’t.
However, George isn’t going to support that.
And in reality, there is much religious abuse directed at females and the gender variant. These are the most vulnerable and always have been.

]]>By: Regan DuCassehttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2013/07/25/57619/comment-page-1#comment-286018
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 19:29:50 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=57619#comment-286018Correction, the name brand of the coffee is Thomas Street.
]]>By: etseqhttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2013/07/25/57619/comment-page-1#comment-286005
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:39:50 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=57619#comment-286005The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has been a joke since it was formed 15 years ago by Congress in an attempt to undercut the Department of State in foreign policy. It has been a highly politicized body from the start and was colonized by right wing evangelicals in the Bush years.

One reason is it so highly politicized and captured by special interests is that the appointment process is ripe for abuse. Under its enabling statute, each of the following gets to appoint 3 members each without any independent confirmation process: President, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, two of which must be approved by the Party leader opposite of the President and Speaker of the House, also two of which must be approved by the Party leader opposite of the President.

So, John Boehner appoints Robbie as pay back to the right wing christians, etc. with no confirmation process whatsoever.

It is basically a do nothing bastard child created by Congress to annoy the State Department since it is not officially part of either the executive, legislative or judicial branches. Technically, it “advises” the State department but unlike the rest of the State Department, it is not subject to the President’s authority like every other part of the executive branch. If it were, the President would make appointments and the Senate would confirm. State hates it because it is constantly trying to meddle in foreign affairs by issuing reports critical of foreign nations without any vetting by State.

In much of the world, there is not freedom to religious belief and practice.

In Muslim nations, for example, the practice of Judaism or Christianity is not infrequently either oppressed or – in some cases – prohibited. In some European countries there are either legal or cultural restrictions on wearing garments that are associated with Islamic practice.

And if you want some clear examples: Germany bans Scientology, Jews in Israel can only marry according to the rules of Orthodox Judaism, in Saudi Arabia the public practice of any religion other than Islam is prohibited. For more examples, see the State Department report.

Religious freedom is not the freedom to practice a religion, it’s the freedom to practice your religion. It’s not as common as you might imagine.

]]>By: Regan DuCassehttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2013/07/25/57619/comment-page-1#comment-285990
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 17:54:53 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=57619#comment-285990You all said exactly what I wanted to. “International Religious Freedom”? Religion is something that is practiced by a huge majority of the world’s populations.
Meaning religious belief and practice, worship and expression IS allowed.
So there is religious freedom.
The problem is, there are many people in the world that don’t have much freedom FROM religious abuse.
Mainly females and the gender variant.
No doubt George’s agenda is to try to incur Christianity wherever he can.
Truth Wins Out has reported that a brand of coffee, called Courage is going to be sold and the farmers in countries like Uganda, Kenya and other areas will participate in the church in exchange for funding their farms and processing of the coffee.
This investment is going through one of NOM’s branch organizations.
It’s missionary work actually in a vulnerable country, where gays and lesbians are threatened the most.
Although the orgs spokesmen said that these countries haven’t been so welcoming to their message and Christian outreach at times, they are still going to try.
What arrogance. They can’t just have a stand up agricultural exchange. They can’t just do it because these farmers can produce a valuable LEGAL commodity that could improve their lives.
No.
They have to become Christians in order to get this interest.
And they have to embrace a religious belief that would make them turn on gays and lesbians contra to their cultural heritage in which they’d never done that before.
Again.
See why missionaries sicken me?
]]>By: Scott Rosehttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2013/07/25/57619/comment-page-1#comment-285988
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 17:45:26 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=57619#comment-285988Jesus fucking Christ! Robert George’s anti-gay hate group has held rallies where preachers yell through megaphones that homosexuals are worthy to death.
]]>By: Stevehttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2013/07/25/57619/comment-page-1#comment-285983
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 17:20:55 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=57619#comment-285983That commission has always been a joke that is only interested in the rights of Christians. Preferably fundamentalist ones.
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